Improvement in heddle-eye openers



UNITED STATES.;I

PATENT FFICE.

VJOHN H. GROWELL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESN E ASSIGNMENT, TO JOHN KENDRIOK, JOSEPH H.V KENDRICK, AND JOHN H.

CROWELL, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HEDDLE-EVE OPENER-s.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,875, dated June 17, 1873; `application, tiled May 5, 1873.l A

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, J oHN H. GRowELL, of the city and county of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Opening the Eyes of Heddles of Weavers' Harness; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawings making a part of the same is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a transverse section in a plane through the openers L. Fig. 3 is aplan of the stripperplate. Fig. 4 exhibits a heddle-eye before and after it has been opened.

Weavers harness are knit both by hand and by machinery by concatenating twine so as to form heddles, each heddle having an eye or central opening, through which, when the harness is mounted in a loom, a warp-thread is to pass. The oice which a set of harness performs is, as is well understood, to openthe shed of the warp to permit the passage of the shuttle. A

It is necessary to size and varnish harnesses to render them smooth and durable, and after they have been so finished itis required before the harness can be mounted to pick open and enlarge the eye of each of the heddle, other- Wise the mill-operative cannot properly insert the warp-threads.

hereinafter described. A shaft, F, mountedi in journals in the framing, carries two arms, G G', each of which is furnished at its front end with a transverse bar, K K', upon which are set in a straight row pointed spurs or eyeopeners L L1, whose diameters at their bases are as great as it is desired the sides of the eye at the central points between the ends shall be apart whenopened. The arms G G', with their respective series of eye-openers, vibrate by means of therevolving-cam D, cam-lever C, and spring M, and the arrangement of such openers with reference to the slotted-plates J J' is such that the planes in which they vibrate shall be within the central elongated opening inlthe plates J J' Fig. 3.

In the operation of the machine the operator takes a harness and causes it to be pre: sented between the plates J J' in such relation that the openers L L1 will, as they vibrate,

enter the eyes and pick them open, and it will be found upon moving `the harness steadily and slowly from end t-o end through the machine over the supporting-table J', that almost every eye has been entered and opened. The

offices which the plates J J perform are alter-` nately that of a table for the harness to rest against while the eye-openers are entering the eyes, and a stripper to clear the eyes from the openers. Thus the plate J acts as a table while the lower` series of openers Ll L3 are entering the eyes, and the plate J acts in conl "i junction therewith to strip olf the eyes upon the return vibration of the armhG', and these same plates, with respect to the openers L L1, act Vice versa.

It is advisable to set the eye-openers L so that they will be yielding, in order to enable them, in caseV their points strike upon the knots at the ends of the eyes, to slide bodily sidewise and enter the eyes of the harness.

Accordingly, I prefer to set the shanks of the openers in transverse slots in the supportingplates K K', and hold them by means of Washers a. Springs N N' are applied to such have a slight lateral movement bodily in all directions.

For the purpose of adjusting the machine to the line of the eyes of diierent harnesses I set the standards Aupon a bed-plate, so that they can slide thereon in guides, and by means of a screw and nut, I, adjust the position `of the machine Withreference to the bed. This capacity of adjustment will be especially convenient in case the harnesses are stretched upon a traveling-carriage made to run upon a fixed horizontal track, which is set parallel with the lines of eye-openers, and disconnected from the machine.

While I prefer to employ two vibrating arms G G', attached to a single shaft, F, and a set of spur-points or eye-openers appropriate to each vibrating arm, and two plates J J',l which, in combination with the eye-openers, act alternately as supports and strippers, as before explained, I Wish it to be understood that a machine which has one or more vibrating eye-openers in combination with a support for the harness, While the eyes are being opened, and a stripper-plate toremove the eyes from the openers, is claimed as Within my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of one or more vibratin g eye-openers, L, a holder or support, J', while the eyes are being opened, and a stripper, J, to remove the eyes from the openers, substantially as described.

2. A machine for picking open the eyes of weavers harnesses, composed of the dual vibrating arms G G1, armed with spur-points or eye-openers L L', and the devices J J', acting alternately as supports and strippers, all in combination, substantially as described.

3. The combination ofthe eye-openers L L3 with their supporting-plates K K', and springs N N', or other yielding device, substantially as described.

JOHN H. GROWELL. Witnesses:

EDWIN C. PIERCE, SAMUEL AMES. 

